Today was the LINKS committee training/handover day. A hell of a lot more useful than the up coming SU committee training day and guaranteed more fun. Basically it now provides me with more reason to claim freedom and let my successor take over as unit leader.

Not actually going to happen quite yet, still need to reorganise the big black box of doom and such like plus finish off some training on PRFs but it'll happen soon enough.

One particularly interesting point during the day though was when I went over resource assessments for duties and working out a quote for the SU/event organiser. For reasons I don't entirely recall now we did the resource assessment (based on the HSE Event Safety Guide used nationally) based upon providing cover for the battle of Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings. There were a few questions raised about the numbers attending the event (decided on <200,000 in the end), whether it would include over night camping, temporary outdoor structures or just be over a wide spread area. Another sticking point was whether there would in fact be a hospital at all and if so what class of hospital.

Eventually we settled on a score of 87 which is off the charts effectively as the top bracket is > 75. I then next went onto sorting out a price to quote the organiser for this event starting at county list prices for equipment (though in hind-sight I did miss out sustenance). This came out as costing around £16,690.88, suggesting to us that Essex offers a fairly good rate for battle field medical cover seeing as this was for 200 first aiders, 35 ambulance aiders, 24 nurses, 12 doctors, 15 ambulances and 3 support vehicles. As Cyborg said it wasn't so much providing cover as introducing a third faction to the battle.

QOTD:

Gimli: Oh come on, we can take 'em.
Aragorn: It's a long way.
Gimli: Toss me.
Aragorn: What?
Gimli: I cannot jump the distance, you'll have to toss me.
[pauses, looks up at Aragorn]
Gimli: Don't tell the elf.
Aragorn: Not a word.

When you take into consideration ASP's recent post on the Thunderdragon's blog it is somewhat risky and foolish to make this blog but equally its one I feel I need to talk about.

The End (as previously seen) is a fairly large event, the largest covered by my LINKS unit and potentially now rates amoungst the largest covered in the county (as all duties with over 5000 people in attendance are meant to be handed over to county command). Around two and a half weeks ago we delivered a letter to several people in the SU dictating what resources we needed and how much it'd cost them (as usual giving them a 60% discount off list prices). We also stated that we needed their response by last Friday.

Against all odds we heard nothing. On Friday me and my replacement stormed the SU corridor on two occasions finding it all be deserted and when I did find someone they didn't realise it was the deadline and had thought someone had contacted us already. Theoretically this meant that we were going to sent them another letter yesterday pointing out that we could no longer cover it or certainly now without increasing the price. This letter would also have been copied to several outside figures resulting it a M.A.D situation which could have seen the end of the unit (ironically enough).

We backed down from that idea in the end and decided to give them a final chance today where they directed us to someone not part of the original letter (and it seems they're not able to pass letters around) so we're now giving this guy until the end of the week before úber letter and trouble. Though still we're effectively currently not covering the event most probably meaning death.

Far too much hassle to be going through during exam period but by the end of the week the negotiation/hostage ransom will be over and its just a matter of booking ambulances/paramedics and general personal.

QOTD:

O'Neill: "Teal'c, look scary and take point."

Quick return to blogging, basically an excuse not to revise...

F.E.A.R. With it's blasted electric ninja monkeys (or Replica Assassins as I believe they're technically known) and demon girl is one of the few games that has ever scared me whilst playing (though I admit I didn't get very far with Doom 3 before I had to return it to my brother).

I've now finally completed the game having become stuck literately 40 seconds away from the end about 6 months ago in a section where I just have the demon girl (young woman at this stage) marching towards me with no where to run to. The 'secret' to how to get past it is a tad boring and I'm very confused that I didn't reach it sooner, I hadn't been shooting the girl enough. For someone that does occasionally rely on the age old tactic of spraying and praying I can't understand how I failed to shoot one slow moving person walking in a straight line 11 times.

Regardless it's now over, might try playing through it again soon though or get one of the expansion packs (though the demon girl apparently gets scarier in those).

QOTD:

Jacques: Don't cry, my dear. I may not have been born a king, I may not have lived like a king. But at least I can die like a king.
[He strides to the guillotine with dignity]
Executioner: Your Majesty, do you require a blindfold?
Jacques: None.
Executioner: Have you any last request?
Jacques: None.
Executioner: Test the guillotine!
[Another executioner triggers the guillotine; the blade comes down and chops the head off a wooden dummy]
Jacques: *Holy shit!* Uh, wait! Wait! Last request, I have a last request!
Executioner: What is your last request?
Jacques: Uh, Novocain.
[the executioners confer]
Executioner: There's no such thing known to medical science!
Jacques: I'll wait!

Bit of an old news story but I wanted to talk about it anyway (and felt like doing another blog after so long), largely because I was there (so I can add to my list of famous people that I came close to meeting Prince Charles, definitely within throwing distance at one point).

BBC NEWS | England | Essex | Prince calls £6m hall 'a dustbin'

Duty was somewhat quiet other than watching the Prince's helicopter come in (and standing along his motorcade route). Dealt with a few injuries though from sports matches that were happening at the same time. But other than that it was an interesting change to the usual duties we cover. Just wish we'd been informed that the VIP they were expecting was Prince Charles, would have at least shaved, maybe even gone for the Black and White uniform.

QOTD:

O'Neill: I'd be happy to debrief you all after I've debriefed myself for a nice hot shower.
Hammond: Permission to shower granted. In fact, I insist on it, Colonel.
O'Neill: Bad?
Jackson: I wasn't going to say anything...

For the last few weeks I haven't been blogging (as will have been noticed and celebrated). I have had many ideas for blogs in this time such as rants about people stealing my compressed gas warning sign or how I managed to buy all the first aid books in Colchester last Friday afternoon. However I just haven't gotten round to it.

To explain this I've decided to share a discovery I made Sunday evening (and the problem has gotten worse since then). So far in this month alone I have done more hours of St John work (104 hours) that I will have of lectures this term. This is even more hours than the CSO of LINKS has done this month (though I'll never be able to match over-all hours with him and wouldn't really want to either).

On the upside it pretty much guarantees me getting the 500 hour certificate this year (just need to do another 49.5 hours in the next two months). On the other side I do sometimes wish I had that time back, true I'd only spend it sleeping but it is something is wish on occasion.

QOTD:

High Lord Vandire: "I haven't got time to die, I'm too busy!"

I have now returned to Colchester [again, was forced to put this blog on hold whilst I left the county on other business](which is my excuse for not blogging) and have rapidly fallen into the deep end with St John work. At the moment things have finally calmed down with a new first aid room just about sorted out, at least for the freshers fortnight and plenty of people volunteering for duties.

Still, tomorrow I'm on duty helping out Colchester unit with the football (which has apparently been becoming more interesting recently) followed by collecting certain supplies from their stores for freshers. Next week I'll then have a committee meeting to organise the freshers fair and our up coming induction weekend as well as being on duty several nights.

On the upside I'm fully moved in, maybe one or two pieces that could do with rearranging or putting away but nothing major. Just have to see how the second year of my course goes now. And because it's been a long time there's a comic as well (it brings dark tidings for a future soon to come):

QOTD:

Carter: You didn't think the Colonel had a telescope on his roof just to look at the neighbors, did you?
O'Neill: Not initially.

40 Key principles of First Aid

1. Air goes in and out, blood goes round and round, any variation on this is bad.
2. Examine the quiet ones first,  then chest clutchers, bleeders next, then the rest of the whiners.
3. When dealing with citizens, if it felt good saying it, it was wrong.
4. All bleeding stops... eventually.
5. You can't cure stupid.
6. If it's wet and sticky and not yours -- LEAVE IT ALONE !!!
7. EMS is extended periods of boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror.
8. A good tape job will fix almost anything.
9. The severity of the injury is directly proportional to the weight of the patient.
10. There is no such thing as a "textbook case".
11. You've come to conclude 90% of all drunks are a waste of protoplasm.
12. Never refer to someone in respiratory distress as a "Smurf".
13. Automatically multiply by 5 the number of drinks they claim to have had.
14. Assume every female between 6 and 106 is pregnant until proven otherwise.
15. Get very, very scared when a child is too quiet.
16. All emergency calls will wait until you begin to eat, regardless of the time. (Always order food "to go".)
17. The Paramedical Laws of Time:
    There is absolutely no relationship between the time at which you are supposed to get off shift and the time at which you will get off shift. Given the following equation: T + 1 Minute = Relief Time, "T" will always be the time of the last call of your shift. E.g., If you are supposed to get off shift at 08:00, your last run will come in at 07:59. (Or if you have early relief coming in you will see you relief sitting at the first stop light from the station, waving!)
18. The Paramedical Rule of Random Synchronicity:
    Emergency calls will randomly come in all at once.
19. The Rule of Respiratory Arrest: All patients who are vomiting and must be intubated will have just completed a large meal of Barbecue and Onions, Garlic Pizza, and Pickled Herring, all of which was washed down with at least three cans of Beer.
20. The First Principle of Triage:
    In any accident, the degree of injury suffered by a patient is inversely proportional to the amount and volume of agonized screaming produced by that patient.
21. The Paramedical Law of Light:
    As the seriousness of any given injury increases, the availability of light to examine that injury decreases.
22. The Paramedical Law of Space:
    The amount of space which is needed to work on a patient varies inversely with the amount of space which is available to work on that patient.
23. The Paramedical Theory of Weight:
    The weight of the patient that you are about to transport increases by the square of the sum of the number of floors which must be ascended to reach the patient plus the number of floors which must be descended while carrying the patient.
24. The First Rule of Bystanders:
    Any bystander who offers you help will give you none.
25. The Second Rule of Bystanders:
    Always assume that any Physician found at the scene of an emergency is a Gynecologist, until proven otherwise.
26. The correct depth of compression in adult CPR is a bit less than the depth you just reached when you broke those ribs.
27. Always wear gloves,
28. Always put your own safety before anyone elses,
29. Do what you’re trained to do, not what you saw in Casualty last night,
30. Kind to your casualty be, for when they are gone, miss them you will (well, on sports duties at least),
31. If in doubt, pass it on (call ambulance),
32. The quickest way to a Man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist,
33. DR(s)AB(c),
34. If you don’t write it down then it never happened. Everything happens* (do your PRFs),
35. Pens are good, guard them with your life,
36. The more you want an interesting casualty the less likely you are to get any casualties/ the more nicked fingers you’ll deal with,
37. Friday’s are generally very dull or a real pain in the arse, especially special Friday’s,
38. If you ever describe a casualty as having a contusion I will slap you,
39. Deep heat is evil,
40. Your dressings and bandages don’t have to be as pretty as in training they just have to work (safe, efficient and prompt),

Protect life, Prevent further injury and promote recovery

QOTD:

Carter: "So you built that...Stargate."
Daniel: "Way smarter than we are."
O'Neill: "Ours is bigger."

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^QOTD:

Jack: It's time for Plan B.
Sam: We have a Plan B?
Jack: No, but it's time for one.